Halloween-a-thon: Dead Space 2

October 18th, 2011 at 2:08 am

Go Gaming Giant’s Halloween-a-thon continues with a newcomer to the survival horror series, but nonetheless: a great horror video game. Of course Dead Space 2 had a lot of hype to live up to since the original Dead Space was stellar (no pun intended) but Dead Space 2 matched and sometimes surpassed certain aspects of the original. So let’s take a look at why you should play Dead Space 2 this Halloween season because it sure is a game that will scare your pants off.

Even scenes without necromorphs are scary beyong all reason.

Dead Space 2 walks a fine line between 3rd person shooter and survival horror; but honestly I can’t believe anyone could doubt the horror factor of this game. With strange parasite, alien things (called necromorphs) haunting your thoughts and city: every room feels like you’re trapped in a nightmare! Isaac Clarke is a tormented man at the end of the original Dead Space and part 2 does not let up. It gives us scare after scare in the creepiest environments imaginable. The cramped feeling of space stations are back (an homage to Ridley Scott’s Alien) as you fight your way through the bowels of ships, a church (yes, it’s as creepy as it sounds) and a nursery.

I'll not say play time is over for this picture, instead I'll just say: Run!

However, I can only point out one section of the game and label it “scariest part of Dead Space 2” and that honor would have to go to the Unitarian Church level. The gothic atmosphere of the level and overall creepiness of the Unitology religion is enough to make the church a scary sight even without the monsters of Dead Space, but this level is special because of the addition of a new necromorph: the stalker. For the love of sweet justice: the stalker is terrifying when you first encounter it. They flank Isaac and sprint just like Velociraptors and in fact; there’s even an achievement/trophy called “clever girls” (an homage to the Velociraptors from Jurassic Park) for surviving the first stalker encounter. Make no mistake; these are definitely the most clever enemies in the game since they have a multitude of tactics like flanking, peeking behind corners and using distractions. Not to mention they have an intimidating size and set of claws.

Ladies and gentlemen: the necromorph that will surely scare you silly everytime it srpints at you.

The first stalker encounter is tense and seeing these buggers dart across the area is frightening beyond belief. These necromorphs don’t just foolishly stumble toward you like the other enemies of the game; instead they stick to the shadows and it makes for one of the best levels of the game. It truly made me feel like I was being hunted not by a mindless zombie: but instead a dangerous predator.

Stay tuned for more Halloween-a-thon reviews of horror games and feel free to check out our forums and discuss articles, games and more!